Above and Below
by Rosa Cotton
Summary: Eustace had never thought much about the height difference between him and Jill before. But now… Post Silver Chair, BBCverse.


Disclaimer: _The Chronicles of Narnia_, all characters, places, and related terms belong to C.S. Lewis.

Author's Note: Last night I watched the BBC version of The Silver Chair; I forgot how good it is. Eustace and Jill are perfectly cast, as well as Puddleglum. I was amused by Jill being taller than Eustace. This unusual inspiration resulted in this story. Enjoy. :-)

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Above and Below

Eustace sat at the top of the slope. His arms were wrapped around his knees, and his head leaned against the stone wall. He stared with intense interest down at the dark green gym wall. He lips were pursed into the firmest of lines.

A sigh sounded next to him. "What _did _they say this time?" Jill repeated her question after a lengthy silence.

"The usual," Eustace grunted, boring a hole into the wall with his stare.

"If they said the usual, you wouldn't refuse to talk about it or turn red," the girl called his buff.

"You don't always have to know everything, Pole."

"No, but talking about it might make you feel better."

Eustace snorted.

"Come off it, Scrubb," Jill persisted, "_They_ don't usually get to you anymore." Her face filled with puzzlement as she studied her friend.

"This is different," the boy snapped, a strange frown settling on his face.

Jill settled herself more comfortably against the wall. "So they didn't say anything about you or me…"

"_Us_," the quiet word came out with much effort.

Jill blinked. "What?"

"They talked about us," he said in a louder tone.

"What do you mean _us?_" the girl said, lifting one eyebrow.

Eustace shifted uncomfortably. Maybe it wasn't worth explaining. The things _they_ had said were all silly, really. He shouldn't be so upset over it. But he was. And he was upset with himself for being about upset about it. The boy's face turned beet red as he recalled the taunting and teasing he had suffered a little while ago.

"You seem to like hanging out with that Pole of a girl," one boy had said with a sneer.

"Oh!" Adela Pennyfather had squealed nastily on seeing Eustace blush. "Does Short Scrubb fancy Tall Pole?"

While they had burst out laughing, Eustace had turned purple. He had fiercely wanted to snap at them and deny it but for some reason had been unable to find words.

"Will you ask her to the dance?" Adela went on between her laughter.

"When they dance, he'll have to look up at her, and she will have to look down," said one of the Garrett twins. "She is over half a head taller than he."

"And he will rest his head on her shoulder."

The whole group had roared with renewed mirth.

Eustace raked a hand through his blond hair. "T-they talked about our height," he spoke hotly. He was finding it difficult to swallow. "How you are…taller than me," he went on, glancing over at his friend.

Jill chuckled. "Our height difference? That's nothing to get upset over."

"I know!" Eustace growled, truly annoyed and ran his hand through his hair a second time.

"Then why are you?"

The boy took some deep breaths. Feeling his cheeks warm up like an oven, he looked back at the grounds.

"They said how silly we'll look if…at the dance next week… we…dance…together," he managed to say.

There was a moment's silence, and then Jill laughed.

Surprised, Eustace turned to her; he watched her wrap her arms around her stomach, her body trembling. She was actually very pretty when she laughed… The boy quickly scrambled to his feet, livid and embarrassed.

"What is so funny?" he demanded, placing his fists on his hips.

"Them, you!" she gasped, trying to calm down.

"I fail to see the amusement of the whole thing, unless you agree with them!" Eustace scowled darkly, feeling insulted and hurt.

He did not resist when Jill pulled him back down beside her.

"Of course I don't agree with them," she assured him as a last couple of chuckles escaped from her. "Their teasing about our height is downright silly. Remember we ended up being paired together during dance classes. They didn't tease us then," she pointed out.

"That-that was different," Eustace protested.

During the class, the lessons had been conducted with the greatest formality. The boys and girls had stood away from each other with just enough distance to allow hands to rest on shoulders and waists. There had been nothing romantic in the music from the piano. The lesson took place in an old classroom. And the students wore their uniforms.

But at a real dance it was different. The dance was held in the gym (which was always decorated), and everyone dressed up. The dancing was far from stiff; bodies were sometimes pressed together, cheeks rested on heads and shoulders. Eustace had even glimpsed some stolen kisses. _Disgusting_, the boy thought.

It wasn't the dancing that Eustace hated the most, though; it was that if you did not go with a date, every person you danced with, it was assumed you fancied. And he did not want that to happen to him. It is not like he had ever considered asking –

"They were just trying to get to you," Jill interrupted his thoughts.

"But you would feel silly if we ever did dance together, wouldn't you?" The words came out before Eustace realized what he was saying. His face turned several shades of pink, and his eyes filled with horror.

Jill gaped at him, stunned. Then she shook her head in exasperation. "Oh, really, Scrubb!" she grumbled as she climbed to her feet. She pulled on his arm with no response. "Stand up already!" she demanded.

"What for?"

Jill just continued to pull, frowning impatiently.

"Fine, fine," the boy snapped, his face cooling a little as he stood up as quickly as he could. He looked up at Jill with expectation.

For a long time she gazed down at him, her face unreadable. Just when Eustace started to become uncomfortable by her unbroken stare and silence, she said:

"Do you not like it that I'm taller than you?" Her words were soft and calm with an underlying sense of nervousness.

The boy grew thoughtful. He searched her face for a moment before answering, "No I do not. If I did…" he trailed off.

"We might not be such great friends," she finished for him.

He nodded.

"_I_ don't mind having to look down at you," she confessed.

"Really?" the boy's face lit up.

"No." She paused. "We should go to the dance to show we are not bothered by our height," she suggested, almost shyly.

Eustace smiled. "I think that's a brilliant idea, Jill," he agreed readily, taking her hand. "Just brilliant."

THE END


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